Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell make an attractive pair for sure. But that’s not enough to save the lackluster “Anyone But You”, a sparkless romantic comedy that checks off plenty of boxes while trying to get by on mere looks alone. Director Will Gluck offers up yet another spin on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. But aside from a few glimmers of promise, this by-the-numbers rom-com never gets off the ground.

“Anyone But You” has one of those annoying stories where the driving conflict could easily be avoided or solved with one simple and obvious conversation. But that conversation doesn’t come until the very end which is a contrivance the flimsy script (penned by Gluck and Ilana Wolpert) desperately needs to keep going. And even then, it hits you with nothing that you won’t see coming from a mile away.

Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) meet in a coffee shop and proverbial sparks fly. They end up going back to his place where they spend all night talking before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Bea wakes up first and quickly slips out, terrified of the strong feelings she suddenly has for Ben. Heartbroken because she left without saying a word, Ben feels that he’s been duped, leading him to trash Bea to his best friend Pete (GaTa). But what he doesn’t notice is that Bea has returned to share how she feels and overhears Ben. She again slips away unnoticed. But as fate would have it, the two meet again six months later, both bitter and angry at the other but for much different reasons.

In a stroke of convenience, it turns out Bea’s sister (Hadley Robinson) is engaged to Ben’s friend (Alexandra Shipp). They’re set to be married in Sydney, Australia so everyone flies down under where they’ll spend the next few days at a luxurious oceanside estate. Bea and Ben’s growing animosity begins to threaten the wedding. That is until the two form a pact. In another convenient turn, both of their exes arrive for the wedding. So Bea and Ben agree to pretend they’re together in hopes of solving their problems with their former flames. Of course hijinks ensue.

The bulk of the film’s 100 minutes has us following this uninteresting group of rich and privileged people as they navigate their rich and privileged problems within their very rich and privileged world. There are moments of charm and there are times when we get flickers of romantic tension between Sweeney and Powell. But two good-looking people doesn’t automatically equal chemistry.

Powell is up for the task, but too often he’s handed dialogue that no amount of good acting could sell. It’s a little more complicated for Sweeney. Her room-temperature performance more closely resembles flat line-reading than anything from the heart. It isn’t until late into the movie that we actually see something from her that feels like real emotion. The mixed bag of supporting work doesn’t help. Some are able to overcome the material, but none can make their characters the slightest bit compelling.

And if the corny dialogue, bland characters, and predictable story weren’t enough, the vain attempts at humor only makes things worse. This is especially true with the physical comedy, most of which is embarrassingly bad for everyone involved. So many of the other gags land with a thud as well. It’s all so painfully unfunny that the movie is never able to recover once it does try to be more serious. It leaves us with an uninspired mess of a movie lacking even a trace of heart, humor, or humanity to cling to. “Anyone But You” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS